Shimome Apartment

Shimome Apartment is a multi-family residence located in a quiet neighborhood between the Meguro River and Yamate-dōri, not far from Meguro Gajoen.
On the ground floor, three small retail units occupy the street frontage. The second and third floors each contain two rental apartments—four in total—while the fourth and fifth floors house the owner’s residence and the parents’ dwelling.
The project replaces an existing family home with a rental-integrated apartment building for a family who has lived on this site for three generations.

The east side of the property faces a north–south street running parallel to the Meguro River, while the south side adjoins a cul-de-sac private road. Although a neighboring house stands to the north, the presence of its garden ensures a generally open and comfortable environment.
Seen from a slightly broader perspective, this area—set in the lowland carved out by the Meguro River below the plateau—has few tall buildings, giving the impression that it is gently embraced by the elevated terrain and the high-rises lining Yamate-dōri.
It is, perhaps, an ideal location for urban dwellers seeking a peaceful and tranquil life, slightly removed from the bustle of the city.

Our concept was to create a building that internalizes this softly enveloped atmosphere in miniature.
Spaces for urban residents are loosely enclosed by structural walls, forming personal domains that extend toward adjacent areas and outward to the surrounding environment.
Around the central core—which contains the stairs and elevator—interior walls are arranged perpendicular to the core, while on the periphery, scattered walls follow the outline of the building.
The rectangular spaces framed by these independent walls and the core open at their corners, allowing a gentle continuity between neighboring rooms and the world beyond the windows.